We are too late -- at least by 2 centuries.

Technological progess - not sure about this. Scientific progress and policy changes - yes.

Generally speaking, Sustainable agriculture- that is, farming in sustainable ways to satisfy society's food and textile needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs is certainly based on an understanding of ecosystem services and the way they work efficiently. It is now agreed that Organic Agriculture is a key production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and the people because it heavily depends on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs which adversely affect the environment.

Exactly. Therefore more money should be invested rather in ecophysiological, ecological research and etc.

Sure

I think yes. Technology surely helps to solve many problems in agriculture nowadays. And to achieve sustainable and environment-friendly agriculture practices are also main focus. For example the same size of plantation area, but can produce double or triple of the production. Thats environment friendly to me.

Yes as per my opinion. With increasing biotic and abiotic stress, technological advances is important for breeding and getting better and suitable crops with changing climate . Also for the monitoring and assessment purposes. It’s better to check for the proper utilisation of water and nutrients with technologies than to blindly use excess chemical. Apply best starategic management practices and take precautions and do forecasting with the use of technologies. Doing climate smart agriculture and precision in agricultural techniques.So consequently what I want to say that using technologies is not a bad option but it should be taken care which one and how for sustainability.

what i feel there should be some strong work in technology realted to agriculture so that the farmers in all over the world should be benifited.

Sustainable agriculture must be a priority and direct the technological development of the area. the way the question was asked; it is understood that sustainability must seek technology ... I believe it must be the other way around. Sustainability is a necessity, a matter of survival.

In my opinion, technological progress "per se" does not solve the problem of sustainable agriculture. The problems of sustainability of agriculture are in the misuse of new technologies. The technological progress is becoming faster and harder for technicians and farmers to be adequately prepared for the use of good agricultural practices. I believe that we must work much more in the transfer of technology and awareness of the good use of our new technologies to achieve sustainable agriculture in the medium term. It is also essential that governments establish policies that reinforce the control of the proper use of new technologies.

Well, you have to think in terms of how much damage technological proress made to soil and water. By using a production function you can measure damage to the scare resources and how yield decreases by depleating other resources aside the agriculture.

If the technological progress led to a sustainable agriculture, then our agriculture right now would be more sustainable than 50, 100 and 200 years ago. ;-) I think the trend is the opposite...

I am convinced that technology is the only way to grow sustainable food crops. As a consultant and initiator, I am involved in many greenhouse projects around the world and sustainability is always the most important aspect. Time and time again, technology, in particular Dutch technology in this area, is playing an important role. Intensive vegetable cultivation in a protected environment results in high productions of high-quality products with the use of minimum quantities or no pesticides and water. By smart cultivation, the energy consumption is virtually zero or the energy balance is even positive. Due to large productions on small plots, there is more room for biodiversity in natural ecosystems.

Technological progress in agriculture may not necessarily enable the development of sustainable environment-friendly agriculture. Environmental mainstreaming which has been defined as the informed inclusion of relevant environmental concerns into the decision of institutions that drive development policy, rules, plans, investment and action is a deliberate and conscious effort geared towards mainstreaming environmental concerns.

To buttress this, the execution of mechanized agricultural practices may require logging of trees (without replacement). Logging without replacement undermines the protection and conservation of the environment. This may also mean logging of forest and economic trees with consequent deterioration in the general cleanliness of the surroundings or unbridled land clearing which could result in exposing the soils to the vagaries of degradation. This could result in the manifestation of the proverbial statement of “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.

For the two to happen, there has to be commitment by all stakeholders to mainstream environmental concerns approach, gauging its effectiveness and the inculcation of environmental consciousness by all stakeholders and deliberately creating an assessment of compliance mechanism.

I think that you mainly refer to large-scale agricultural activities such as the cultivation of cerels. In that case maycan be right. In my comment I refer mainly to horticultural activities such as the cultivation of fruit and vegetables. For large-scale production, relatively less space is required because of the high yields per m2.

I am aware that the increasing demand for horticultural products may be at the expense of natural areas, but if that does not happen in a high-techn manner land use would be even greater.

Besides that, current techniques make it possible to grow high-quality products in places that are no longer suitable for other (agricultural) use.

I believe that the goal of this

progress is to meet the needs of a

growing population. but behind these

years it becomes difficult to escape

the laws of the market that make hunger still relevant.

Sustainability and technology do not hava correlation at all.

Technology is a tool, a method, a design. Sustainibility on the other hand a target, a way of working in order to reach a goal.

As @ Beatrice Jazotte de Vasconcelos mentioned, sustainable agriculture is a crucial target. So all the technological inventions should be done in accordance with this target, but unfortunately it is not guaranteed.

Yes. That is the Goal.

Technology in agriculture should be "APPROPRIATE" for the specific context in which it is going to be employed. Too often technology has been imposed upon countries and cultures as the modern and only way to farm, without any respect for local knowledge and local technologies already in place that have been working well for millennia. Another important point in this discussion is the cost of technology, which often may not be affordable in certain contexts.

In our projects we try to incorporate local smallholder farms. Their products are often unique and not suitable for large scale market approaches. By combining high volume products with these local specialities, we try to give them access to the market. An internet tool (kind of market place) is helping them.

But it is only a temporary solution. A real problem is that these local farmers do not have successors. Working in open fields in sometimes harsh circumstances is not appealing to the younger generation.

Techniques that worked for the last millenia do not fit in this 21st century. Too much has changed irreversible.

But we also must, at the back of our minds, remember that we cannot predict Natural occurrences, and the change they bring, with or without the advances in technology. We are yet to know what the micro population will mutate to with the changes in weather patterns. The changes in the soils may dampen the progress in agricultural technology. The development and uptake of new agricultural technologies, combined with the effect of climate change on cultures, local knowledge and indigenous knowledge systems, is yet to be understood. These, and the long term effect of genetically engineered products on biodiversity (both below and above ground) may counter the efforts to develop environmentally friendly agriculture and its sustainability thereof.

Grace makes a good point. On that topic I would add that Genetic Engineering (GE) technology has caused more harm than benefits to a majority of farmers around the world and, indirectly (through environmental pollution, land grabbing and appropriation of germplasm from indigenous people) humanity as a whole. The lesson learned from this is that the Precautionary Principle should always be the mandatory test to launch a new technology in diverse contexts. Another point that makes me skeptical about technology is that through it we may have machines such as drones, or robots doing the job but this approach strips humanity of the dignity of doing good work. The industrialist may look at technology as an effective way to reduce man power in the production enterprise but this increases unemployment and unempowerment for those being affected. I think that for agriculture and food production humanity should restore a robust segment of society that remains on the land to support the primary sector of any economy.

Interesting discussion

Besides technological progress, other simple strategies may enable the development of sustainable environment-friendly agriculture. An example is encouraging farmers to forward crop residues to beneficial industries, instead of just burning them. This is illustrated in the below mentioned review. Happy new year.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315427845_Agricultural_Residues_Wastes_for_Manufacture_of_Paper_Board_and_Miscellaneous_Products_Background_Overview_and_Future_Prospects?_sg=Uu4mwgriwm6wL8ftXpL5UBggMxWBfZLdnE0gR8lNMmTh-fK3gfLEn3bLwrRvsJcAflz1lFUgYF30K-ofvYbpbm0KzDdY0Y-a2v4SLHPD.4stRPO63yIkvIMx1DqCKN-VDQWWyFJkAWRRxRWsUAghOhpup7jYjgG47ZJMXFPGLz3oc9aW6B9i_LZw6DXHkMg

Stef Schreuder , Robert Zabel , Dariusz Prokopowicz, Stef Schreuder

Another key around urban areas is the effective management of waste waters (precipitation runoff most especially) by establishment of large storage cisterns and their use for urban food & landscape plant production systems. Management of nutrient inputs without manufacturing vast amounts of petroleum-produced artificial NPK fertilizers is the greatest hurdle to cross though. One possible tech advance area is insect farming where insects are produced for fish & livestock feeds as well as for fertilizer use. Another huge area for technological improvement is the reduction of fungicide, herbicide & pesticide demand by improving production methods to reduce the impacts of herbivorous insects, weeds & unwanted fungi. Very few resources are going into fungus research for foods & medicines, yet many places where field crops & horticultural crops cannot grow, fungus crops may be grown >> another vast region we should be seeking technological improvement.

Field grass crops like corn, sorghum, soy, and wheat might not appreciably increase in efficiency without artificial fertilizers and pathology reducers. Most vegetable and some fruit crops have vast promise for increase in production per acre. Rice is a different story, probably somewhere in the middle. We can increase its food value per plant, but are unlikely to dramatically increase our rice production capacity.

So how can tech help without causing greater environmental stress? Indoor growing close to, or inside population centers has vast potential for feeding billions of people. We are just beginning to explore the options. Aquaponics & vermiponics have vast potential as do production systems for various entomological and fungal foods and livestock feed options. We can now grow subtropical and tropical plants fairly efficiently in temperate climates not far from urban centers. We have the ability to produce vast amounts of food under glass in deserts, given adequate nutrient inputs, an initial investment into transported water supply and efficient water recycling. Many desert areas have very large cities in or near them (Karachi, Lima, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Riyadh, Mecca, Medina, Barcelona, Juarez, Cairo, Tehran, Dubai, El Paso, Casa Blanca, etc.)

Another key around urban areas is the effective management of waste waters (precipitation runoff most especially) by establishment of large storage cisterns and their use for urban food & landscape plant production systems. Management of nutrient inputs without manufacturing vast amounts of petroleum-produced artificial NPK fertilizers is the greatest hurdle to cross though. One possible tech advance area is insect farming where insects are produced for fish & livestock feeds as well as for fertilizer use. Another huge area for technological inprovement is the reduction of fungicide, herbicide & pesticide demand by improving production methods to reduce the impacts of herbivorous insects, weeds & unwanted fungi. Very few resources are going into fungus research for foods & medicines, yet many places where field crops & horticultural crops cannot grow, fungus crops may be grown >> another vast region we should be seeking technological improvement.

The reduction of the four great western culture medical threats (obesity, heart disease, cancer & diabetes) via increased fruit and vegetable consumption reduces the ecological footprint of medical problems. Placing produce directly in the everyday path of urbanites increases the consumption of such produce, especially in health-conscious and low income sub-populations. Encouraging stress reduction, anxiety coping, depression reduction and other mental wellness issues by pressing nature into the hands of urbanites has also been shown to enhance produce consumption, especially in school-age children. Economics can further increase produce consumption and may be encouraged by the replacing the grain subsidies (corn especially) and mammal-based product encouragements with tax incentives toward fruits, vegetables, algae, fungi, insect and marine-based food sources. This is a cultural shift encouraged by tax policies & government agricultural regulations.

The UN estimates our current 7.5 billion people will grow to 8-11 billion by 2050 and to 11.2 billion by 2100. From a food perspective alone, this is an utter non-problem. Using tech that has been around for more than a decade, we ca produce enough food to feed 20 billion people. The issue in population boosts are many however. They include freshwater shortages, animal product demand beyond world peak production capacity, marine dead zones from ag runoff (and other contributors), pollution & waste management, housing location competition and the potentialities of a wide variety of climactic shifts.

Technological progress must be helpfull for environment-friendly agriculture development

Is essential that governments establish policies that reinforce the control of the proper use of new technologies.

I agree that looking into non-convential food resources is an interesting option, especially when combined with more common practice in fruit and vegetable production. Algae, fungi and insects have huge potentials and are an essential part of natural ecosystems. I believe that incorporating these natural interactions between all forms of life can enhance the effectivity and sustainability of food production.

In my projects we are looking for circular systems based on algae, insects, fish and vegetable production. It is a complicated puzzle to solve because the food produced is for human consumption so the only way to make it circular is to incoroporate humans in these ecosystems. It is impossible to copy existing ecosystems for large scale food production so science has to play a role to create ecosystems that fits the need for sustainable production and the increasing demand for healthy food.

Burgeoning population and climate change pressure are the immense challenge to the agriculture. In addition to this, agriculture land is declining day by day. Thus for sustainable agriculture, we have to develop and use new innovative technologies.

I agree, technlogy can and has to contribute to sustainability in agriculture. We are all convinced that technology brought us to the next level of comfort and it is hard to imagine a world without its benefits. But for some reason, food production is regarded as a business that has to be connected to nature.

All resources of agriculture find their origin in nature; we have to respect that and always be convinced that nature contributes to quality of life and quality of agricultural produce. But mankind grew away from agriculture connected to nature and cannot go back, at least not the coming decennia.

We found ways to feed the world and respect its resources by applying state-of-the-art technique. Let's use them and develop them towards a world that is capable of feeding is people and respects its resources and biodiversity.

Yeah ...it's very interesting discussion. Thanks all.

Latest technology of implementing Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture like Agriculture Robots, Predictive Analysis can enable the development of sustainable environment-friendly agriculture without compromising the quality and yield of product. It would rather be a great break through in the agriculture farming system.

Sooner or later every grower will have to work in sustainable way because the depletion of our natural resources starts to be noticeable. Of course the technological progress will very much help in that but we should help the growers to adapt those technologies by providing them in simple forms that he/she can use. otherwise misusing these technologies may harm more than benefit agriculture.

There are many new tecnologies using low energy, and less chemicaks, but the farn machinery prducers are not doing real attempts to bring them to the farmers.

We have many new designs waiting for the manufacturers.

The above question inspired me to the following considerations:

Organic farming alone can be difficult to feed fast-growing population. The solution may be to redevelop food production and change the eating habits of people, because 3/4 of the arable land area is used only for the production of agricultural produce, which is the food for livestock, i.e. for the needs of meat production.

Within the framework of organic farming, it should be allowed to replace chemical plant protection products with organic fertilizer and to create more resistant to viral, bacterial and fungal diseases of crops using genetically modified technology of genetic modification.

In view of the above, it is also important to include in the above discussion also the following issue:

It is also necessary to develop energy based on renewable energy sources that produce electricity and heat for the needs of agricultural production. It is necessary to develop ecological innovations, including the improvement of the process of autoamtification of waste segregation and, for example, the production of small household power plants based on renewable energy sources. Developed ecological innovations should also improve water management, including the development of small, household sewage treatment plants and modern composters. It is also indispensable to continue the process of automation, digitization and robotization of production processes used in farms.

Do you agree with me on the above matter?

Please reply

I invite you to the discussion

Thank you very much

Best wishes

We can say mechanised chemical free farming to feed burgeoning world population.

In the context of climate change - the need to meet the needs of the future population by 2050, making it even more urgent for agriculture to use GM crops to meet the growing needs of the world's population and eradicate poverty

Interesting discussion! Following!

We are too late -- at least by 2 centuries.

Mechanisation is must for sustainable agriculture production.